Promoting Leadership Principles in Product Management

Category Archives: Innovation

Successful business leaders thrive on competition. They’re at their best when contending for the top customers in high-end markets. They may feel that if they’re not in the middle of a cut-throat battle with competitors, they must not be succeeding.

Do these statements represent your approach to business? While much as been written about competition and businesses that have been highly competitive and won, in reality, some of the most successful companies have won using very different techniques. They have changed the way they do business. They have made a shift to the blue ocean.

Every product and service we have today was once an idea. Even the most basic creations did not exist before someone came up with an impression for a better outcome that would be useful in some way.

When you stop and think about it, the number of incredible products and services available today is truly amazing. In many cases, these great products have developed into product lines, companies and even industries. And it all started with an idea.

Have you ever seen The Matrix, Terminator, MinorityReport or Ex Machina? All of these movies have one thing in common: they focus on the concept of transhumanism—the idea that technological innovation can help us surpass our human limitations, making us, literally, superhuman.

It may seem closer than we think in our Digital Era. We are constantly strapped to our technological devices—our phones, apps and laptops—answering emails, keeping track of schedules, updating social platforms and checking the news. Our technology has become our “transhuman” extension, but for business leaders, is this a good thing? Should our employees become robots?

Today I wanted to have a little bit of fun. Long-time readers probably know that I grew up on a cattle ranch, and despite my 20+ year career in products and leadership, I still love cows, horses and the rural life.

When I found this comparison of cows and businesses, I couldn’t pass up the chance to share it. So, here’s my attempt to use a bit of ‘cow-sense’ to describe eight models that will hopefully shed some light on ways to run your business.

Disruptive and incremental innovations: How to ascend the ladders and avoid the snakes

Guest post by Gaia Grant and Andrew Grant

Current realities are harsh. Whereas once it was enough to bring out slow incremental improvements, to give time to trial new products, services and ideas and test the market, innovations now need to be rapid and radical. And the competition is fierce.

Today in the United States we’re celebrating Independence Day. This is a special time because it represents the efforts of great leaders, in the late 1700s, who risked everything to form a new country where people could pursue their dreams. Those men were not only great leaders in their day, but their influence continues to inspire others—all around the world—to step up and do great things.

I’m not a historian, but I have read enough about the US Founding Fathers to understand their vision that forming a country where people were free to pursue their dreams would lead to innovation, industry and prosperity. They knew that given the opportunity, individuals would rise up and do great things. They were right.

The next five years are likely to be the most crucial in your entire career.

If I’m not careful in how I pose the question, when I ask leaders about their legacy, I might get canned retirement speech. “I want to leave this business prepared for the future and knowing that I made a difference.”

But as our conversation continues, the import of considering one’s legacy within just the next five years becomes clear. This is an era of transformative disruption.

What keeps many leaders awake is being Uber’d — experiencing massive disruptions in everything they do that seem to come out of nowhere – disruptions that can uproot entire businesses and industries before they’ve finished their morning cup of coffee. Continue reading →